Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #9: The Incarnation of God

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #9: The Incarnation of God: "After viewing 'The Nativity Story', analyzing your chosen Christmas carol, and reading Philippians 2:1-7, reflect on the meaning of Christma..."

Jesus has a lot of names. He's the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior, the King of Kings. He's the Lamb of God, the Redeemer, the Prince of Peace, and the Bread of Life. My Christmas Carol, "O Come All Ye Faithful", describes Him as The King of Angels and Christ the Lord. Each of these names basically means the same to Christians. Jesus is the incarnation of God in the form of a human being, and he came to the Earth to deliver us from our sins. My Christmas carol, as well as the movie and the text from the Bible says that the birth of Jesus is something to celebrate and to look forward to. My carol emphasizes Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, as well as the call that the sheperds and the Wise Men received to "come and adore Him".

I think that it was necessary for Mary, Joseph, the Wise Men from Persia, and the shepherds to have faith in God. If Mary did not trust the Angel Gabriel and God's path for her, than she would not have accepted her role as the mother of God. If Joseph had not had faith in God and in his wife, Mary, he wouldn't have accepted Mary's story and he would never have stood by her. If the Wise Men did not have faith in God and in the prophecies, they would never had left their homes and possesions to follow the star. Finally, if the shepherds did not have faith in God and in the Angel that spoke to them, they would not have come to see the baby Jesus.

So what kind of god comes as a baby? Babies are powerless and defenseless. Yet at the same time, infants are pure and innocent. Jesus always loved children, and He never turned them away. He even told his disciples that to get into Heaven, they would have to become like little children. I think that God chose to come as a baby because He wanted us to understand that He knew what it was like to be human. Jesus didn't just come to Earth as a full grown man and start telling people what God wants them to do. Instead, he grew up as a human and experienced all of the struggles that people face, and then, after living over thrity years as an ordinary person with ordinary people, he started to teach. Like in our Christmas asssembly, God wanted to walk in our shoes so He sent His son to us. The meaning of Christmas is to celebrate His walk and the gifts that He brought us.